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Monthly Archives: April 2008

My husband and I have been taking turns lately with our kids on the weekends, as most parents with more than one child know, it is impossible to be everywhere at the same time. We call this technique “divide and conquer.” My turn with Alex was yesterday. His band had the opportunity to appear on a live locally broadcast television show in Austin, Texas. We were supposed to be there at 2:00 p.m., actually arrived at 2:30 p.m. (that traffic!), and went live at 4:00 p.m.

The trip to Austin was uneventful, except for the brotherly love apparently going on in the other vehicle. Two of the guys are actually brothers. Nothing out of the ordinary for blood brothers, just a little friendly slapping each other in the head repeatedly, and loudly expressing their general disagreement. Makes for fun in dicey traffic, though! We arrived in Austin at a little studio on the east side, an eclectic part of town from what I have heard, and from my observation. It was a quaint little studio; we were in a big black room, with large multicolored lights, cameras and people who looked like they knew what they were doing wandering in and out doing what they know how to do.

3:00 setting up … 3:15 looking good … 3:30 sound check, making adjustments, let’s play a song or two … 3:45, no sound coming out of this monitor … 3:50 still no sound coming out of this monitor … let’s play another song … that’s good. 3:55 … finally sound in the monitor … 4:00 … “Here we are, Live from Austin, Texas, my name is Scott … and we’ve got a band, For Every Day, out of Flower Mound, Texas that’s going to rock your socks off,” or whatever he said. I don’t know what he said, because during this time I was watching my son, who apparently noticed something was not quite right and jiggled a plug on his pedal board. BWZZYT (think of an obnoxious loud zapping noise). Scott didn’t bat an eye, but just kept talking. Again, Alex leaned over and jiggled the plug … BWWZZZZZTTT …and a little one … BWZT, just as Scott says, “Here they are…For Every Day!” Well, whatever the problem, if there was one, Alex solved it in the nick of time. I know the parents all heaved a collective sigh of relief, though we didn’t hear it, as by then the room was full with the sound of our boys rocking Austin’s socks off, or at least those Austinites who were watching Channel 10 at 4:00!

…about this blog. I have read that a good blog needs a theme, that it can’t be this mish-mash of purpose. I can understand, except I was hoping that I could post commentary on random thoughts about current events, things happening in the area, or in the world, or just in my life. Or maybe none of those things, and just the chance to be creative. The experts say, ok, have more than one blog…I don’t have enough time nor so many thoughts to keep two of them going! I guess it’s my blog, and I can do what I want!

As if to prove the above point, I’m taking a sharp turn here. I have also been thinking about this polygamy thing in San Angelo (my former stomping grounds is in the limelight). I’ve been reading Scott Henson in the Dallas Morning News who apparently thinks Texas went berserk in rounding these kids up and separating them from their families. I agree that this is a sad, sad situation, and that every story has two (or more) sides. I have no idea how to solve this problem. Henson’s commentary leaves me wondering just what part of polygamy is ok, and even worse, what part of pedophilia is ok? He claims that if you round up kids in our neighborhood, you’d find as many pregnant teen girls in the mix as they found at the YFZ Ranch. My question is, who made them pregnant? In our neighborhood, it’s probably the 16-year old boyfriend (I wince as I say that, as my son is 16). At the YFZ Ranch, I’m not so sure. Granted I don’t have all the facts, and perhaps I just don’t understand the culture, but if we should all be ok with this, then I’m confused. The State of Texas prosecutes anyone else doing these kinds of things, but I guess if you do it as part of your religious culture, it’s ok?

I have grand ideas during the day of what I will write next. Then “next” rolls around, and I am dumbstruck, as if I never had those thoughts at all. Hence, here I am writing about I don’t know what I should write about. I know it was me who had those thoughts…now where did I put them? Kind of like going into a room and not remembering why I bothered to go there. Frustrating! Always the one to try to see the upside, at least I am writing something!

I have my family and pets, and, of course, I know I will write about them in addition to work, and other goings-on, along with (hopefully) those random thoughts that are now incognito. I will save those things. I am now sitting in my bed contemplating how good it’s going to feel when I turn out the lights and close my eyes. It’s been a busy weekend and it’s only half over.

So, tonight, this is it. Just writing something in hopes that the inspiration will come. The muse would have a hard time getting through the fog tonight anyway, so I’ll try again soon!

Today I will blog about my work. My job is stimulating at times, and not so at others, but it’s a good job. I have a great boss, a nice office, friendly co-workers, and work close to home. Can’t complain. Today we were served with two lawsuits…just a typical day! Not seriously a typical day, but yes, we were served two citations. It’s not typical to get served two times in one day, or even two times in several months, so today was not a good day for the company, I guess you’d say.

Litigation is a fact of life, and probably more so at a company like mine. I work in the senior healthcare, or more specifically, senior skilled nursing industry – at the corporate level…in the legal department…so you can see how I know about the lawsuits! Unfortunately, sometimes bad things do happen to loved ones in nursing facilities. Other times, the seniors are already very sick or dying, and the family is distraught, and looking for someone to blame. Then, of course, there are the disgruntled employees who file harrassment claims (of all kinds). It’s not an easy industry from any angle, and I do hear horror stories from time to time.

My company does a better job than most to help the facilities be the best they can be. Many training programs are in place, much to do with self-policing, if you will. The problems are a mix, but generally have to do with employees at the facility level. The pay scale is just not very high for some of those jobs, particularly for Certified Nurses Aides (CNAs) & Medication Aides (MAs). I’m told that pay is not a motivating factor (this coming from someone in corporate who is compensated nicely). The CNA & MA positions are not skilled positions, are not glamorous by any stretch, and, in at least some cases, are held by people who don’t seem to care about the work that they do. I sometimes wonder if the pay scale were higher, if it would make a difference. I have been assured that it would not. Some of these employees are hired, then come to work for a month or two, and then one day they just don’t show up. Retention, from what I understand, is key to keeping the facility “clean” from a litigation perspective. Bad things happen when turnover is high and morale is low. You think? That’s the $64,000 question (or as in some of our cases, much, much more).

Yes, this is my first blog. When you think about all the firsts in life, well, this is one of them. I will write more on another day when I know what I am doing. I am tired, and the widgets and such are confusing me. Until later…